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Indiana Dunes State Park
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- Good for Kids:
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15 reviews for Indiana Dunes State Park
About the only thing I miss about living in Virginia--or any state close to mountains--is the fact that there's really no good place for a weekend hike. I've been to Starved Rock (not challenging enough and too crowded with family lollygaggers) and while I like what Wisconsin has to offer, it's hard to justify driving 8 hours roundtrip just to satisfy my daytrip hiking urges...(I like camping but it's a big production and who wants to come back to work Monday exhausted from all that?)
So that leaves the Dunes.
I get up here every 4-6 months or so and while I love the proximity to the city (about an hour's drive each way on a Sat/Sun morning), I am getting bored with it. This past Saturday we did the #10 which was a nice 6-mile walk or so with a couple of sandy hills, but it was nothing special. It's always nice to be in nature though and I appreciated the fact that it wasn't too crowded. I think #9 is the prettiest of the "Dune hikes" and #8 is a nice endurance hike. Not much to see but you'll be breathing hard and feeling it in your thighs...
As for West Beach, I like it. Not because it's all that pretty but because in my book, any time you can pick an alternative to Oak St or North Ave. beaches and escape the crowd, I'm happy!
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This is the second beach I have visited so far in the Midwest. Lake Michigan is a beautiful lake (more like an ocean) with waves, rocks, and nice sand.
Indiana Dunes beach is just that..nice. I think it would be worth it if it wasn't $10 to enter for non-residents. My son, as always, made friends and had a good time (sand, water, toys, he's set!). He went up and down the dunes with his dad, and I helped him make sand castles as I always do.
It's nothing out of this world, or to hurry and make a trek to. I don't know, maybe it's just me and I'm spoiled (Miami girl) but I'm still searching for a decent beach to "hang" with my boy.
They have made some stellar improvements over the past few years to the park - however this also lead to a $10 park entrance fee (out of state). Beautiful beach, hiking trails, camping - this place has everything for a nice day or weekend away.
Camping grounds are just okay. The sites are pretty much on top of each other and offer little privacy. A few years back they cleared out many trees to make more "room" for more camping sites. Any time trees are taken down is a HUGE minus in my book. Ever heard of conservation Indiana Dunes? Apparently making money is more important to them. Welcome to America. This offered more room to put more camp sites and also cleared out the area so much that sometimes it looks like you are just camping in a random park or field.
Also do to "bugs" you can't bring in any fire wood from the outside. You must buy the crap wood at the camp store. For $7 a bundle (like 3 pieces of wood) it's a rip off - especially considering the bundle will probably only burn for less than an hour. No alcohol allowed at the campground either. You might as well stay home and camp in your own backyard.
On the plus side, I love all the hiking and biking trails. The dunes are also fun to climb up if you want a good workout.
Tho this is listed as state park, this whole area is part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and there is a visitor center run by the NPS off US Hwy 12 near Beverly Shores, Ind. I love this area for its urban and industrial history and for the national park with the art deco houses from the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Thanks to History Detective, I hear that particular world's fair at the height of the Great Depression also had a "live baby show" of babies in incubators. I digress.
Anyway, up the shore in (Michigan City I believe) is the nuclear plant and it is eerily beautiful next to the dunes and shore and beaches. And do take the historic south shore rail line from Chicago, that's a great trip in itself. The cute little train station in Beverly Shores, Ind. with its neon is SO cool. I just love it. What a great country we live in with national parks situated within urban areas.
What the....
This place is a fucking dump! Huge smokestack on one side...nuclear plant on the other?!?
I think I just grew an extra finger.
I hope my ten dollars really helps the parks system.
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We were here on a drizzly day in September and while maybe that's not the best time for a swim, it was the best time for some hiking. You get a trail map as you enter, and don't throw it into the back seat - there are trails ranging from 1/2 mile to 10 miles and lots in between. We spent three hours walking up and down dunes and through the forest and saw a couple other people, but not more than a couple. And it's only 45 minutes from downtown Chicago...get up early and have breakfast in Michigan City and you'll have the whole day to wander.
Rightly or wrongly, Indiana is a punchline for most people in Chicago (except for the many from Indiana). While I wouldn't ever want to live there, I can say that Indiana is an enjoyable escape on occasion. It's a different world, and probably not a better one, but it is a change of pace.
The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is that sort of escape that only northern Indiana can offer. Extremely close to home, it offers an escape that can fill an entire day.
Unlike the beaches in Chicago, there's a lot to do around these beaches including hiking trails (well, I guess you could hike the lakefront path if you're feeling really brave), nature centers, and scenic vistas to look at. I can't rate the second two because, really, my friends and I just lounged on the beach away from the pressure and noise of the city.
The beach itself has some of the friendliest sands I've ever been in. It's dune sand, logically, and it's soft. Right into the water (where there are very few rocks), it's wonderful.
One important note. If you want to drink, there are four beaches that are part of the National Lakeshore that allow alcohol and two that don't. The two that don't are the ones (ironically) with life guards.
On Labor Day weekend we hit up Kemil Beach. One thing that I do have to say about this beach is that there's not enough parking for it. Even though the beach was not crowded, there were actually lines in parking lots waiting for spaces. I can't speak to what other beaches are like there but I'm guessing they're pretty similar.
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My first time at the Indiana Dunes was Labor Day weekend, but definitely not my last! Megan B., Michael G. and friends decided to hit up Kemil Beach for one last summer hurrah. We were lucky to get a parking spot in the nearby lot due to some friendly guy that was leaving. It's best to find people leaving the beach and follow them stalker-like in your car, kind of like following exiting shoppers on Black Friday. The sands were absolutely beautiful, fine-grain, and laughingly hard to walk through. We saw some people slowly dragging their bean bag boards back UP the hill, and in this case, what goes down must come up folks! Kemil beach is big enough that it didn't seem crowded, we brought drinks and snacks to aid our lazy sunbathing.
The Lake is surprisingly clean here and you can go far out with the water still at your knees (popular for the kiddies in your life). A few of us hiked the 0.5 mile Dune by the parking lot at Kemil Beach. It's more like hiking in a forest, but altogether gorgeous and peaceful. I can't wait to go back to explore some more!
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One of my favorite beaches. It's sometimes a little crowded but I like the
fact it has lifeguards and a cafeteria as well as close parking. The dunes
are fun to climb up and beach is kept pretty clean as well. There are
more private type beaches that I like, but this one is definitely one the
best ones.
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I had a lovely time at Indiana Dunes State Park this Labor Day Weekend with fellow yelpers Michael G and Kyle H.
It had been 22 years since my last trip to the dunes (yes, I was 4), and this trip exceeded my expectations. Of course, my only recent experience with Lake Michigan beaches has been with overcrowded North Ave. Beach in Chicago, so it wasn't hard to be impressed with the Dunes.
At Kemil Beach, the parking was scarce, but the beach was vast. This meant that every group had plenty of room to spread out far from others. A late August trip insured warm waters, and I was surprised at the water's clarity and the white sand's fine texture.
On a clear day, you can see a hazy miniture Chicago skyline across the water. It was only slightly disconcerting to see smoke stack rising from plants far away on both sides of the the beach.
It is a perfect spot to spend the afternoon. Pack a picnic, blankets and chairs, along with a few games, and you will be set for the day. It was well worth the hour long drive from downtown Chicago.
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$10.00 just to go to the beach? Then add $25.00 p/night for camping, even with a tent? I can understand that those large RV's but $25.00 to pitch a little tiny-carbon-footprint tent? Not too mention the additional $10.00 in tolls to and from the city. This IS a beautiful place, but it is getting ridiculously expensive to go there. And let us not forget, the place is flanked on the west with a surreal landscape of steel mills, and to the east the power plant in Michigan City.
I go to Union Pier, MI beach frequently (now don't all of you start going there, too!) Few people, beautiful beach in what is often humorously referred to as the Hamptons of the Midwest. You might as well call it the Malibu of the Midwest, too., But is nice. And it is free. Of course, you can't camp there, but I would choose it over the Dunes anytime for a day trip.
If I were to return to the Dunes, I think I would take the South Shore Line, and just hike the park, hang out at the beach. The weekends, it is only $6.00 one way to Dunes Park station. Hopefully, they won't make you pay $10.00 to just walk into the park. (Indiana residents only pay $4.00 by car.) This is not to suggest that you relocate to Chesterton.
But I would sure like to know where I can go for reasonably-priced tent camping within a couple hours of Chicago.
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The Indiana Dunes makes for a great weekend getaway. The past two weekends I've gone up and spent the day in the sun, tanning, listening to tunes on the beach and relaxing in general. I like it there because it's a lot quieter than the beaches in the city and not as crowded - plus only an hours drive from the city.
The directions you get on Mapquest and also the website are a little off, I've gotten lost both times while going there (what can I say, I'm a city girl) and ended up at a couple of gas stations looking like an idiot trying to find the lake. I would give better directions, but I'm scared I'll just get you lost - use your GPS!
I was at Porter Beach which is the dead end of Route 49. The cooling tower and smoke stack add a great touch, haha!
I didn't get to go camping on the lake (tear) but from what I saw it was pretty darn packed and I probably wouldn't have liked it that close to the lake. It seemed like a giant cluster of RV's and screaming children. No thanks! For camping, see my review of Dunewood Camp Ground!
The sand on the beaches here is the fine powdery kind that feels soft and pleasant as it sifts between your toes. It also seems like the kind that 's good for building sand castles, as there were examples of many of these along the shore. We were here on Memorial Day weeekend, so the water was still too cold for swimming in, but cool and envigorating when you walking along the water and allow your feet to get wet.
Climbing the dunes is harder than it looks. It's a great workout and really worth the climb when you get to "ski" downhill in your bare feet.
The food a the beach house on the other hand, is a whole other story. BAD. No other way to say it. Soggy fries, microwaved burgers, unremarkable onion rings. You're better off bringing your own picnic, though you might be hungry enough to eat there if you've exhausted yourself climbing the dunes and feel like anything will do.
In any case, this was my first visit to the Dunes and I had a really great time. It's an easy drive from Chicago--about 50 miles. Just keep in mind there are two parks the state park and the federal park. The state park is a tiny bit farther and much bigger. There's plenty to explore. It's definitely worth a visit.
The beaches here are really great - all the way along Lake Michigan up into Michigan. Simple fun - swimming, building sand castles, picnics on the beach.
The National Lakeshore is big and encompasses 8 beaches:
West Beach
Cowles Beach
Porter Beach
Kemil Beach
Dunbar Beach
Lake View
Central Beach
Mount Baldy - this is our favorite. To climb. It's challenging and the kids love it. Mount Baldy is the national lakeshore's largest moving dune.
Check out the things to do on the National Lakeshore website - fun things with the kids. http://www.nps.gov/ind...
Really an excellent place to visit. I live by the place so I've grown up going to it, camping at it, bringing friends to it, swimming at it, climbing dunes at it, and taking photos at it. It's amazing - and even better if you can find a way to get away from all of the people and just relax with a few friends.
I remember in my High School days we used to sneak in and camp after it closed. A small place where me and my friends frequented where the dunes surrounded us totally was pretty much the only place you could really see the starts in the area.
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